Locomotive-boiler washing and refilling apparatus.



D. W. CUNNINGHAM. I LOGOMOTIVE BOILER WASHING AND REFILLING. APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 111L1 1, 1907.

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I D. W. CUNNINGHAM. LOOOMOTIVE BOILER WASHING AND RBFILLINGIAPPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 14, 1907.

Patented Nov. 22, 1910 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

, 976,438. I Original application and Ju1y'6, 190s,

DAVID w. CUNNINGHAM, or DES MOINES, IOWA.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, DAvin'W. CUNNING- HAM, a citizen of the United States, residing'at Des Moines, in the county of-Polk and State of Iowa, havev invented a certain new and useful Locomotive-Boiler 'Washing an'd Refilling Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The subject matter of thisv application has been divided out of my application for United States Letters Patent, Seri-al'Num-' ber 325,394, filed July 6, 1906, on a water heater for locomotive boilers.

The object of my invention is to provide anapparatus of this kind of Simple, durable and inexpensive construction to which ,fone-or more locomotive boilersmay be connected.

- and the steam and water thepefiambe dis charged into a heater to be uti ized in warming the water in said heater, which water thus warmed may be used for washing out and refilling the locomotive holler O'If bOIlBIS More specifically itis my object to pro heater without any backward flow of steam the less degree of pressure, the valves for accomplishing this result being autpmatically actuated. a

A further ob]ect is to provide means for utilizing the steam exhaust from a sta-' tionary engine for the purpose of aiding 1nsupplying steam to the heater and without being alfected by the back pressure caused by connecting one or more locomotive boilers with the heater under different degrees of pressure.

' A further objectis to provlde means for supplying live steam to the heater direct from a stationary boiler, said steam to be supplied. through a valve automatically opened when the temperature within the heater falls below a certain predetermined degree to the end that the water in the heater may be maintained at the proper temperature at such times whenthe supply of steam and water from locomotive boilers is not available.

My invention consists inthe combination with a heater of the apparatus for blowing Specification of Letters Patent.

from which the steam and water was blown off 2s vide an apparatus of this kind to which two.,. or more locomotive boilers maybe connected, having different degrees of steam pressure, and both be permitted to blow oil into the .30" or water or deposit into the boiler having LOCOMOT-TVE-BOILER WASHING' AND REFTLLING APTARATUS.

Patented Nov; 22, 1910.

Serial as. 325,394. Divided and this application filed January 14,

1907. 'Scria1 No.352,19f?;

- ofl", washing out and refilling locomotive boilers, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth; pointed out in myclaimsand illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in

shows a central, longitudinal, sectional view of an apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 shows an end elevat on of an apparatus embodying my invent on. Fig. shows an enlarged, detail, sect onal view-illustrating the valve for controlling the admission of steam from the supply pipe to be connected to a stationary boiler, and Fig. 4: shows an enlarged, detail, sectional view through one of; the pipes for admitting steam and water from a locomo- 'iJlVGbOllI to the main supplypipe-of the 'heater. i

- Referring to the-accompanying drawings,

Ishall first describe in a general way the form of heater to which. my resent invention is especially adapted. he reference numeral 10 indicates a main cylinder having spaced apart from each end a vertical partition" 11. In one end, partitions 12 and 13 areprovided, to extend from the partition 11 to the cylinder-head, thus forming an upper, a middle and a lower compartment in said end. Connected'with the partitions 11 are the boiler tubes 14 communicating with the, chambers at. the ends of the cylinder.

Communicating with the said lower com partment is a drain pipe 15 having a gate valve 16 therein and also having connected therewith, above the valve, an overflow pipe 17 which pipe extends upwardly toa point above the center of the cylinder and then downwardly to a point of discharge and which is provided, at its top, with an air vent tube 18. Communicating with thecompartment at theother end of the main cylinder is a cleaning out pipe 19 provided. with a gate valve 20. Mounted on top of the main cylinder is the upper cylinder 21 having near its ends the partitions 22 andthe boiler tubes 23 connected with the partitions and communicating with the chambers -in the ends. This upper cylinder is provided in the chamber at one end with a transverse partition '24 dividing said end into'upper and lower compartments Communicating between the lower compartment of the upper cylinder and the upper compartment of the lower cylinder is apipe 25 and communicating between I the cylinders 21 and 10 1s a pipe 26. A steam discharge pipe 27 leads from the upper compartment ofthe upper cylinder and a hot .water discharge plpe 28 leads from the bodyportion of the upper cylinder. The pipe 29 which admits steam and water into the heater communicates with the middle-compartment of the main cylinder and freshwater to be used in cleaning" and refilling locomotive. boilers is admitted into the lower cylinder through the pipe 30. The practical operation of theheater proper is fully described- .111 my application before referred to.

The means for introducing steam andwater from locomotive boilers or from the exhaust pipe of a stationary engine or from I having the pipe 29, before referred to, conastationary boiler and which forms the subject matter of. this; application, cQnij-t prises ahorizontally arranged main pipe-31 nected' with it and extended downwardly into the middle compartment of the lower cylinder In the main 31 adjacent to the upright pipe 29, I have provided two check valves, eacharranged topermit the flow of steam or waterfrom the 'main 31 to the pipe 29 and also arranged to prevent steam and water'fromv moving through the main. 31 in the opposite direction. These check valves are indicated by the-'numeral"32 and pipe 29.

are placed in the main 31- adjacent to the The reference numeral 33'indicates a live steam supply pipe arranged to receive its steam from any suitable source of supply.

It extends to a point adjacentto-the lower end of the pipe 29 and there isjprovided with lever connects with a thermostatic regu a right-angled vextension 33 that projects through the pipe 29 and terminates near the end of the p1pe29 so that when live steam isbeing forced through the pipe 33, it will tend. to cause a suction upon thev pipe 29 and draw from said pipe 29 all of thesteam or hot water therein contained and it also serves to prevent the live steam from apply-' ing a back pressure-upon thepipe 29. Inv the said pipe 33 is a. cut-cit valve 34 and beyond thecut ofi valve is a check valve 34 designed-to prevent back pressure from the heater .into the pipe 33. i

fulcrum'ed to a support 37: on the lower boiler, The: other end of "the bell-crank lator of ordinary form communicating with the interior of the lower cyllnder. The

advantage of having the thermostatic reguis raised to the havin mass that the cold water supply pipe enters said lower cylinder and it is desirable to'admit live steam for thepurpose of raising the temperature as soon asthe water in the lower boiler is cooled. In this way the water in th"i1pper boiler is'always maintained hot enough-for the purposes desired and the operationjof washingor refilling a locomotive boiler may be started at any time because the water first drawn from the. heater comes from the cylinder and if when water is drawn from the upper heater,

the cold water comes into the lower heater vin such quantities as to reduce its temperature, then the live steam is automatically turned into it and its temperature raised before all of the hot water is withdrawn from the upper cylinder. The operation of .this part of the device is as follows: lVheu the temperature of the lower cylinder falls below a certain predetermined degree, the thermostatic regulator is afiected thereby and operates the bell-crank lever 36 and opens the valve 34, thus introducing live. steam into the heater until the temperature oint where the thermostatic regulator Will close the valve 34.

I have provided for -blowing otfsteam and water from locomotive boilers as fol lows: One or more'pipes 39 are 'rovideo *and designed to be connected with t' e'blowoff pipes of locomotives. Each o'fjth'e'sc pipes 39 is provided with a check valve 39' and extends to a point above the main 31 and then horizontally at 40 where it is provided withasecond check valve 41. Beyond the check valve it extends downwardly and enters the main31. In the present in-- stance, two of these pipes areshown in Fig. 2.' The arrangement of said blow-elf pipes and the valves therein accomplish the following desirable result-s5 First, by having said' pipes extending to points above the main 31, the water within'said main'is prevented from flowing by gravity from the main 31 'into the pipes 39; Furthermore-by,

having said pipes 'each provided with, two check valves it is obvious that if two 1000-' motive boilers should be connected with the apparatus at'the same time'andone of them should have a steam pressure of con:

siderable amount, say for instance one hum. dred and fifty pounds to the square inch a and the other should have a steam pressure of only fifty pounds to'the squareiinch, then. I the high pressure from one would be pre-.-

vented from forming a back'pressure upon the locomotive boiler connected with the other and each could discharge its steam and water into the mainat the same time; There is often considerable solid matter in' the water; blown-01f from a boiler and' by two check valves, I avoid" the dan p I ger' 0 having them made inoperative'by lator1connectedwith the lower cylinder is the deposit which may accumulate in thei3opipe 39. I have also provided means for introducing steam from the exhaust pipe of a stationary engine to the main as follows: The numeral 42 indicates a pipe to be connected with the steam exhaust port of a stationary engine. This port extends to a point above the mail 31, and is provided with a horizontal porfiam-A3' containing a' check valve 44 and beyond the check valve it extends downwardly into the. main 31. By this arrangement water within the main is prevented from floivinginto the pipe 42 and the valve 44 prevents steam under pressure Within the main 31 from flowing back into the pipe 42.

Bythe arrangement, just described, one or more locomotives may have their boilers connected with the pipes 31 and the hot water and steam therefrom may be blown off into the heater where the steam and water are both utilized to their maximum efiiciency in heating the water within the heater and the'water from the locomotive boilersis not in any way commingled with the water in the heater. As soon as a locomotive boiler hasblown' ofl", Water is taken by the operator from the pipe 28'of the heater and used for'the purpose of washing out the locomotive boiler. On account of the high temperature of the water, the washmg outprocess may be commenced i1nmediately'after the boiler has been blown off and there will be no danger of injuring the boiler bycontraction and expansion caused by a great variatio'n' in temperature. WVhen the washing out process has been completed, the

i boiler may then be refilled with hot water fromthe pipe 28 and this water being at high temperature may be quickly and easily brought to the boiling point, so that'the engins may be ready for use in a very short time after having blown ofi. If at any time the supply of steam and hot water from the locomotive boilers is not sufficient to maintain the desired temperature within the heater, then the supply pipe for live steam 1S automatically opened, as before described,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United. States, therefore is 1. In a device of the class described, the

the locomotive'blo'wsofl pipe into said recept-acle so'that when livesteam is admitted combination 'ofa locomotive blow-off pipe f designed to receive steam and hot 'water into the -.blow-ofi' pipe it will create a suction in the blow-oft pipe tending to force water and steam therein into said receptacle, and a valve for controlling the flow of live steam.

- 2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a locomotive blow-01fv pipe designed to receive steam and hot water from a locomotive, a receptacle designed to contain Water to be heated and having said locomotive blow-ofi' pipe admitted into it, a pipe for live steam inserted into said locomotive blow-ofl" pipe and arranged to dis-- charge its contents at a point adjacent to the inlet of the locomotive blow-ofi' pipe into said receptacle so that whenlive steam is'admitted into the blow-ofi pipe it will create a suction in the blow-01f. pipe tending to force water and steam therein into said receptacle, a valve for controlling the flow of live steam, and a thermostatic regulator connected with said receptacle and also with said valve on the steam pipe for automatically regulating the admission of steam by the temperature of the receptacle.

DAVID w. CUNNINGHAM. 

